Bell is a rural Texas county Sheriff who has spent his
career bringing a sense of order to his corner of the world. Like many in law
enforcement, the world is black and white, and while crime can't be condoned, the
motivations for it and the people behind it can, most times, at least be
understood.
We get an early clue as to what's eating
Sheriff Bell in the first chapter, when he talks about a killer he arrested and
testified against being executed. The vicious nature of the murderer, and the utter
lack of remorse he shows for his crimes bother Bell's sense of order. He can't explain
it, and it gnaws at him.
The same is true of Chigurh. He
is the modern drug gang assassin, while Bell can only be the small town Sheriff. No
matter how good a cop he is, he cannot come to understand Chigurh or others like him.
It makes him question his faith in God, and the belief system he has nourished all
throughout his life. He wants to quit, in part because of the evil he's facing in
Chigurh, and in the end he does, but not without feeling that somehow, he has
surrendered.
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